Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Elemental Wars
by Tiramina-Fan-Works
Summary: Six kingdoms. War spreads across the land like an incurable disease. In six moons, the great kings will meet at the center of the land, but many fear this day, for it is said that their world will break. All the people can do, is hope that someone will rise up, and unite their kingdoms, before the great kings plunge their world into an endless nightmare.


The sun was slowly rising over the horizon, it's rays shining through the evergreen trees. The morning mist rolled over the hills, sending chills down the spines of the small animals roaming for food.

The thick, white clouds floated through the sky, casting shadows over the forest below.

Deep inside the grey clouds, a lone figure soared through the sky silently, eyes fixated on the forest. The figure's piercing crimson eyes watched for any movement below the trees, keeping their leather wings in a silent glide as to not alert any potential prey.

A snap of a twig and the figure pointed their nose down and began to dive silently towards the small chipmunk crawling on a tree branch, searching for a morning meal.

The figure opened his jaw, bearing his lines of sharp, jagged teeth as he tucked in his wings, sailing through a small hole in the roof of the forest and right towards the small animal.

Before the chipmunk could react, the figure flapped his ebony wings to give him a last-minute boost of speed. He reached out with his long, black talons and seized the branch, lunging down and latching onto the chipmunk with his jaw, snapping its small neck. The animal went limp, and the man propelled himself from the branch and flew back above the trees.

He tucked the bleeding chipmunk into his thick, loose shirt, searching for another, but bigger target. He circled the woods for a few minutes before he saw a rabbit hopping along the forest floor. Using the same stealthy movements, he dove down into the trees and snatched the rabbit up with ease.

Now, with all the needed prey, the man broke his silent flight, and casually flew through the tree towards his home.

When an overly large pine tree came into view, the man smiled warmly, pulling his prey out of his shirt. He gave his wings a few extra flaps, rising a few meters into the air and set his eyes on a large hole in the evergreen.

At the last moment, he tucked in his wings and stuck out his large, clawed legs, latching onto the side of the opening, ending his hunt.

He dropped the dead animals onto the ground of the hollow, just in time to hear a young, childish voice call out to him.

"Big brother!"

He looked up to see a small, dragon kit running to him on all fours, diving into his arms.

"You're back! Did you get some good stuff for dinner?" She asked excitedly, her stomach growling in unison. He smiled.

"I got ya a chipmunk. Small enough for you to eat whole."

Her long, scaly black ears dropped in fear, looking down at her talons.

"But… but Joey… am I old enough to eat whole animals yet?" She asked, her fear of choking shining through. The older dragon smiled warmly.

"Don't worry Serenity, I'll teach ya the best way to eat it without choking. It'll be easy."

The Ebony Dragon siblings entered their pine hollow home, hiding away from the blinding sun. The Ebony Dragon, commonly known as "The Red Eyes" in the outside kingdoms, were a nocturnal dragon species who made their homes in vast, cold forests. They had long black tails and matching black wings, the adults gaining up to a ten-foot wingspan. Long, black horns protruded from their heads, and they had long, pointed scaly black ears that matched. Instead of human legs, the Ebony Dragons had scaled, bent hind legs with large, clawed feet, allowing them to latch onto branches or other surfaces with ease. Their hands bore long, black talons, and black scales danced up their arms and onto their backs.

Known for their superb sight and silently flying, Ebony Dragons were known to live alone until they mated, where they would raise hatchlings until they could fly and hunt for themselves, before throwing them from their homes. To many other species, it seemed cruel.

"But… but big brother! Can't you tear it up instead? I don't wanna choke…" Serenity nudged her head against her brother's side, hoping to persuade him into tearing the chipmunk into bits instead of making her practice eating it whole. But Joey shook his head, giving her a sympathetic smile.

"Serenity, you're getting to that age were you'll need to start eating things whole. It'll make things easier when ya hunt and meals will be quicker. And you're a bit too old for me to tear it up for ya," He replied, Serenity's ears falling in disappointment.

It was unusual for dragon siblings to live together, or for an older sibling to raise their younger kin, but their parents had a bad fall out when Serenity was just a hatchling. Joey had overheard one night that his father was disappointed that they had hatched a daughter, and planned on eating her when their mother was out hunting. The first thing Serenity could ever remember was being snatched up by the scruff of her neck, the smell of blood, and her brother taking off into the air, still too young to fly properly, with her dangling from his jaw. She could hear a woman's screams of betrayal and hatred, cursing them both to the Oblivion. Serenity had tried asking before what this memory truly intaled, but her brother would always go silent, his eyes drifting off to a far off place in his mind. Eventually, she stopped asking.

"Okay, lemme show ya how it's done. C'mere," He unfurled his wing and pulled her close, dropping the two animals at their feet.

"So first things first, you're gonna grab their neck with your teeth with its head in ya mouth. You'll lift it up, and swing it's body up, and when it's sticking straight up into the air, before it falls, wrap your tongue around its legs, open your mouth as wide as ya can, and pull it down. Our jaws and necks will open up and allow plenty of room for it to slide down into our bellies no problem. Now watch me."

Joey cleared his throat and placed the rabbit into his mouth, it's head gone from sight. He lifted it up, and as he instructed, swung it's body up so that it stuck out like a board. Before it could fall back down, he unhinged his jaw and using his long, snake-like tongue to pull the furry animal into his mouth and down his throat. With a few quick chomps, he swallowed the rabbit whole.

Serenity watched with amazement as he set his jaw back, and belched loudly.

"And that's how it's done! If ya want, you can just hold the animal up with your hand. And let good 'ole gravity do the rest!"

Serenity looked down at her chipmunk nervously, biting her lip. She gave one last look to Joey, hoping in that second he'd change his mind. But when he gave a toothy grin and nodded his head, she sighed in defeat.

She picked up the animal by its tail, lifting it up and into her mouth. She took its head into her teeth, and hovered it above her head. Once it was sticking upright, she used her tongue to pull it down and opened her jaw. She gagged a bit, but with a few helpful back pats from her brother, she managed to swallow it whole.

"See? Wasn't so hard now was it?" Joey grinned, Serenity coughing a bit to dislodge a few stray hairs that stuck to her throat. She nodded.

"I-I guess…" she sighed, rubbing her neck with uncertainty. With her belly full, she suddenly felt a wave of sleepiness wash over her. She let out a big yawn, her tongue rolling out of her mouth. Joey smiled fondly, leaning down and nudging her deeper into the hollow.

"Alrighty, it's bedtime for ya," he whispered, standing on all fours and leading her down the spiral in their home.

Their hollow was rather large compared to most. Joey wanted to give his sister the biggest home to grow up in, and when he saw this hollow, he spared no second thoughts in fighting the previous residents for it. The entrance was as wide as the tree itself, and the hollow continued down towards the ground in a spiral-like motion. At the bottom of the hollow, the floor was lined with bird down, moss, and soft furs, making it a prime location for sleeping.

Joey watched as Serenity crawled into the pile of soft cushioning and stretched, spreading her small wings outward and raising her tail. She laid down on her side, curling into the cushioning as Joey walked over and began picked out loose scales from her wings with his talons, an action similar to preening.

"Mmm… Joey?" She mumbled, wondering to herself why she suddenly felt so tired. Joey hummed in response.

"When will the war be over?" She asked as if it was a day to day question.

The older dragon paused, his crimson eyes falling. He hated it when she asked that question, because every time she did, he'd have to lie to her.

"...Soon… soon…" he whispered, reaching forward to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Serenity smiled, nuzzling the down as sleep began to overtake her.

"Kay… I love you Joey…" she whispered, letting another yawn.

Joey smiled, leaning down and giving her a gentle kiss on her forehead, rising back to his feet.

"I love ya too Serenity, now get some sleep. We start branching for ya tomorrow."

She purred in excitement, rolling over and wrapping her wings around herself. Joey smiled one last time and ascending back to the hollow entrance.

He scraped some of the wood and pulled a few furs over to him, laying them down in front of the entrance. He laid down slowly, placing himself at the entrance to ward off any wandering dragons or sky-dwellers.

As the sun climbed higher and higher into the sky, and sleep began to wash over him, he let his gaze fall to the forest floor below.

If only this war would end… then his sister could be happy and safe.

* * *

The moon was low in the sky, gently climbing as the dark veil of night draped over the sky. As the stars began to lite, the Black Forest became active. Sky-dwellers, fiends, mages, and dragons all stirred and rose from their homes, going about their night.

Deep in the wood, Joey stood on one of the large branches right outside the hollow. He stood on his hind legs, stretching his arms up and out with a satisfied sigh. The night air smelled wonderful.

"Joey?"

He turned around at the sound of his name, Serenity standing at the hollow's edge rubbing her eyes of sleep. He gave her a toothy grin, spinning on his heel.

"Evening! Ya ready to start flyin'?" He cheered, stretching his wings out in display. Serenity smiled, bobbing her head up and down happily.

"Yeah! But can we get some food first? I'm hungry…" She asked, squatting down on the branch and staring down at the ground.

Joey had anticipated the question, and gently maneuvered around her and back into the hollow. He picked up two dead possums and tossed one to her.

"Already went on the hunt. Once your belly's settled we'll start," he replied, taking his meal and swallowing it. He had to help Serenity with hers, for the possum was bigger than the chipmunk she had the previous morning.

They relaxed in the hollow while their meals settled, and Serenity babbled with an onslaught of questions.

"So how does branching teach me how to fly?" She asked first, laying on her stomach. Joey smiled, leaning against the wall as he explained.

"Since us Ebonies live in trees, we use them to learn how to fly. When we start, we jump from branch to branch, first learning how to glide downwards. After you've gotten good at that, we start upwards branching, which will teach you to fly upwards. So for right now, you're just gonna be gliding down from branch to branch. It's simple, and if anything goes wrong, I'll be right there to catch you." Joey leaned forward, nuzzling his cheek against Serenity's.

The younger Ebony dragon giggled, returning the nuzzle with glee. They allowed another few minutes to let the food settle before Joey took Serenity outside.

The small dragon felt fear crawl up her spine as Joey took her out onto the outer branch. She had hardly been outside in her life, and now she was standing outside the comforts of her hollow with the ground dozens of meters below her.

"J-Joey… are you sure about this? Wh-What if I fall?" she whimpered, tucking herself underneath Joey's wing. Joey chuckled warmly, hugging her gently.

"Don't worry sis, if you fall, I'll catch ya," he reassured her, kissing her forehead. Joey stepped away, standing on the branch with all fours. He stretched his wings out, giving them a few flaps to warm them up.

"So, I'll show you how it's done. So, you grip the branch with your talons and feet and spread your wings. You give yourself a few hops, then flap your wings as hard as you can, and…!"

Joey shook his hips and flapped his wings as strongly as he could, propelling himself off the branch. He stuck out his wings and glided down to the next closest branch. He reached out with his talons and grabbed the branch, sticking his legs out to latch onto the branch. He turned around, smiling up at his sister.

"See? It's easy!" He called up, tucking his wings to his sides.

Serenity swallowed thickly, nodding hesitantly. She stood up on all fours, stretching out her small wings. She hopped up and down slightly, giving her wings a few test flaps. She sucked in a breath, and jumped off the branch. She flapped her wings as hard as she could, sticking out her wings. She gasped as she felt the air tuck underneath her wings, carrying her through the air and down to the next branch below. However, she was a bit too high.

"J-Joey! I'm gonna glide over the branch!" She cried, losing her temporary confidence, flapping her wings in panic.

Joey hooked his feet into the branch and reached out, Serenity diving into his arms. She flung her arms around his shoulders, tucking her head into Joey's shoulder.

Her shoulders began to shake violently. She dug her claws into Joey's shoulders, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks.

"J-Joey… I-I almost-"

"Shh, it's okay. I caught you like I said I would, didn't I?" He cooed, sitting down on the branch. He gently rocked back and forth, rubbing Serenity's back gently.

Joey kissed the top of her head, setting her down on the branch next to him. Serenity kept a locked grip around her brother, staring down at the ground fearfully. Joey smiled.

"It's okay Serenity, don't be scared. We all make mistakes when we start learning. That's why I'm here, to make sure you don't get hurt as you learn. Okay?" He smiled, patting her head softly.

Serenity sniffled, nodding her head in return. She wiped her cheeks clean of the tears and turned around to face the next branch down. She took a few deep breaths, watching Joey leap down to the lower branch.

Serenity huffed, puffing her chest out with confidence. She spread her wings, hopping up and down a few times before she propelled herself off the branch. Doing as her brother once instructed, she spread her wings out and let the air carry her, but this time, she waited just a second before unfurling them, so that she was lower in the air. She set her eyes on the branch where her brother sat, her brows furrowed.

She glided for a few seconds, before she stuck out her feet, to latch onto the branch.

Her landing was wobbly, and she had to flap her wings a bit to regain her balance, but when she sunk her talons into the wood, she stood up with shock.

Then, she smiled brightly, "J-Joey! I did it!" She cried, turning to her brother.

Joey smiled, wrapping his wing around Serenity happily.

"Great job sis! See, was that so hard?" He chirped, watching as Serenity turned around to face the next branch. She shook her head, preparing herself another leap.

"No! Watch, I'm gonna try again!" She cried, leaping off the branch and wobbly gliding down to the next branch below.

For the next hour, Joey followed his sister as she jumped from branch to branch. Occasionally he'd have to either guide her flight so that she'd land okay, or he'd have to catch her altogether.

Once they made it halfway down the tree, Joey decided it was time to take a break. Serenity's wings were beginning to tremble, and sweat was dripping down her neck.

"Let's take a break, rest up those wings for a bit," Joey announced, lowering his front so that she could climb on his back. She nodded gratefully, slinging herself between her brothers wings, wrapping her arms around his neck as Joey flapped his wings and took off into the sky.

When they entered the hollow, Serenity hopped off his back, sitting down near the back.

"Is that all for today? Are you going to work now?" She asked, smiling with excitement. Joey smirked, shaking his head.

"'Fraid not sis. I took today off so that we could get started. We'll be doing this all night," he answered.

Serenity's wings slumped, her eyes blown wide.

"A-All night?"

He nodded, "Yep. When I said take a break, I didn't mean, call it a night. We'll rest up for about an hour, then get back to it, 'kay?"

Serenity whined, falling on her front dramatically. Joey chuckled, swinging tail over her in reassurance.

"Can I go with you to work tomorrow if I do well?" She asked suddenly, rolling her head on it's side to look up at him with pleading eyes.

Joey pursed his lips. He didn't like taking Serenity out of the safety of the hollow. There were hardly any other dragons or sky-dwellers living this deep in the Black Wood, and next to no one wanted to climb the giant evergreen they lived in. Many said that the trees in the center of the Black Wood were taller than the Pharaoh's palace. No one wanted to try and climb to see if any dragon young potentially lived there.

Serenity puffed out her lip, trying to look as cute as possible to convince her brother to agree.

Joey pursed his lips, sucking in a breath as he tried to resist. When he looked down and saw his sister, he sighed in defeat, shaking his head at his weakness.

"Alright… I don't see why not-"

"YES!" Serenity cried, leaping up and down in joy. Joey reached out and seized her by her arms, stopping her bouncing.

"But, you have to promise to behave. We don't want a repeat of what happened last time, now do we?" He set her down, Serenity bobbing her head up and down!

"I promise! Can we go out to practice more now!?" She cried, racing to the edge of the hollow, shaking her tail excitedly.

Joey smiled fondly, standing up and walking over to her side, stepping out onto the branch.

"Alright, let's get back to it then."

* * *

***throws YGO story out into the street***

**I'm gonna write more stuff so that I don't get bored with other stuff. Cool? Cool. **

**So, I have a bunch of stories racking around in my head, and if I spend too long writing just one story, I'll get a burnout and lose interest, kinda like what happened to TDW. So, to prevent this, I'm gonna expand my works, so that I don't suffer those burnouts again. **

**So, this is a story that I've had racking around in my brain for a while now. This story takes place in a fantasy world with six kingdoms representing the six attributes of Duel Monsters; Water, Earth, Fire, Air, Light, and Dark. The characters are all variation of their star monster, as shown here, Joey is a Red-Eyes Black Dragon, or called the Ebony Dragon in their kingdom. **

**I've decided that updating monthly will be a better course of action then trying to pump out half-assed chapters every week. Sorry for that, but I'd rather have a long wait and it be worth it for you guys! **

**This is sort of a pilot chapter to say, giving us a quick look into the life of monsters in this fantasy land. I decided to start the story at Joey's point of view, cuz that boy needs more luv. We'll only have three points of view throughout the story, and if u wonder who they are, their in the listed characters in the summary.**

**And hoooooooodle, that's gonna be it for now. Stories will be updated monthly from here on out, for quality purposes!**

**_NEXT TIME:_**

**_Joey takes his sister to his workplace has agreed, where we meet Joey's employer, also known as the Black Mage. During his night, Joey asks him if he's had any visions regarding the monstrous war raging outside their peaceful wood. What does he know, and how long will they be safe hiding away?_**

**_Find Out Next Month In Chapter 2: _**

**_The Black Mage's Omen_**

**~HUGS ALL AROUND~**


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